Chapter 55

Had one ever, just for fun, tried walking through a wide-open plain with one’s eyes closed? Even knowing in one’s head that there was nothing to trip over, the body itself often could not take more than four or five steps. With one’s vision cut off, the body reflexively tried to protect itself.

That was exactly Ethea’s state now. Even though she was holding tightly to Lyle’s hand, she could not go any farther. Not a single ray of light was allowed inside the cave, and even when Lyle told her to trust only him and come on, her steps would not move.

“I’m telling you, it’s fine.”

“I know. I know that, but……”

“Just trust me.”

“Lyle.”

“Yes.”

“How can you be like that? It’s this dark-doesn’t it scare you?”

Perhaps he was scared too, and only pretending to be fine? That was what she had assumed, but Lyle gave an unexpected reason for not being afraid.

“The eyes given by the spirit of Orodium don’t simply drive away monsters. These eyes can do more than one might think.”

Did that mean Lyle’s golden eyes let him see well even in darkness?

And yet somehow, in this darkness, Lyle’s golden eyes seemed especially red. The slow fairy song drifting from somewhere made the atmosphere even eerier. Without realizing it, Ethea gripped his hand more tightly.

“There’s no sound of water. How far in do we have to go?”

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here. We’ll find water soon enough. Even if it’s just water running along the wall or floor.”

“Somehow only your eyes are shining brightly, and it makes you look scary.”

“Haha.”

The sound of Lyle’s laughter was oddly awkward.

Suddenly he looked at her. As those golden eyes tinged red turned toward her, she instinctively shrank back.

“You say it’s scary, and yet you’re still holding my hand tightly.”

“Well, what else am I supposed to do in the dark?”

For a brief moment, Ethea even considered letting go of his hand. As she gave him a slight glare, her head suddenly went dizzy.

Whiing-

‘What is this, did I overdo it today by playing too much? I had been anemic now and then before, but I don’t think it had ever been this bad.’

Ethea pressed at her temples, trying to soothe her dizzy head, and looked forward. Then suddenly she felt something strange and looked ahead.

“Lyle?”

Lyle was looking at her with eyes that were entirely red. Not merely golden eyes tinged red, but eyes glowing red like blood.

“Ah.”

Reflexively, Ethea flung his hand away. The glow in his eyes was so bright that his whole face was visible, and it was not the usual expression he wore.

Was it only her imagination that Lyle’s smile now looked wicked? The way he stuck out his tongue and slowly licked his lower lip looked like greed itself made flesh.

“What delicious prey.”

Thinking she must have seen wrong and heard wrong, Ethea shut her eyes and shook her head. All kinds of suspicions sprang up in her mind.

What was causing that expression and those words that were so unlike Lyle? Could there perhaps be a monster in the cave? She tried to think as calmly as possible, but in truth it was too frighten-just as she thought that.

Whip!

He seized both her hands.

“Ah!”

What was this? By the time she opened her eyes, both of Ethea’s arms had already been raised toward the ceiling by him. She tried to bring her arms down, but could not.

A wicked voice was heard. It was an unpleasant resonance that could never be called Lyle’s.

“Hehehe! It’s time to sleep! Eternal sleep is the greatest rest! Besides, it’s better for everyone if something like you never wakes up! ”

Ethea went rigid in shock.

At some point Lyle had vanished without a trace, and instead a human-shaped white mist was circling above her head. The mist-man even had an expression. Two blue lights where its face should have been were staring at her like the eyes of an evil demon.

“Sleep well! Field that bears calamity! Sleep deeply! O body in which evil dwells! I shall gnaw away your soul and call forth the world’s repose!”

The mist-man kept circling above Ethea’s head while spouting incomprehensible words.

Why did it keep telling her to sleep? Perhaps it was a curse that truly had power, because drowsiness really did come over her.

No. If she fell asleep like this, instinctively it felt dangerous, as though she might never wake again.

‘Ahh. No, this won’t do.’

Her eyes grew heavy. Her mind blurred, and strength tried to leave her whole body. Even so, she absolutely could not fall asleep in a place like this……

“Lyle…… help……”

Without realizing it, Ethea muttered that and let the strength leave her legs. No sooner had she sunk down than her eyes closed.

‘Lyle. Is he hearing me? Where in the world is he, and what is all this?’

＊  ＊  ＊

When the hero Drenai Hillus joined forces with the spirit of Orodium to eliminate the species of monsters from the continent, he mainly selected only those monsters that threatened human life.

Drenai did not bother with things that were too far from the central city of the Empire, or too insignificant, or too rare for him even to know they existed. He simply had no interest in them. The water demon ghost, a native monster of Aquarand, had been one such case.

The water demon ghost was a nocturnal monster not well known unless one was a native of Aquarand. They usually appeared in gloomy places such as caves or under bridges, and they would hypnotize weak people or young children into sleep and drive them into nightmares. Then they would consume their souls and leave the humans as living corpses.

However, once they had consumed one soul, they would not attack anyone again for as short as ten years and as long as twenty, and their numbers were extremely small. Perhaps because of that, they lacked much presence as monsters. Moreover, hardly anyone went to caves or valleys late at night, and since no one had been attacked by a water demon ghost in nearly thirty years, even the natives did not pay them much mind.

But that water demon ghost had attacked Ethea. A woman of small build who had entered the cave at night-there had been no better prey.

When Ethea, upon entering the cave, suddenly lifted both arms toward the ceiling and made gestures with a terrified face as though begging to be saved, Lyle fell into panic.

He understood that she was seeing things and struggling as if hypnotized, but not knowing what was causing it made him frustrated and afraid. There was also the crushing guilt that perhaps something dangerous had happened because he had recklessly suggested going into the cave in the first place.

All Lyle could do was trust himself. He had to judge and move entirely on his own.

At the time, Ethea had been looking at the ceiling. Thinking that whatever was tormenting Ethea was on the ceiling, Lyle summoned Sadea’s power there.

Sadea did not seem pleased.

【If it isn’t alive, there’s no joy in destroying it…….】

‘So there really is something there? Is that what’s tormenting her?’

【There is. Something very unappetizing.】

‘Kill it.’

【Ah, how troublesome.】

Even so, Sadea could not rebel against the will of its host, Lyle, and faithfully helped him. Though Lyle himself could not see it, the water demon ghost, which had taken the shape of a mist-man, was torn to shreds by Sadea.

After driving off the water demon ghost, Sadea told Lyle,

【It was a water demon ghost.】

‘A water demon ghost?’

【A weak one among water demon ghosts, so it could be destroyed before it gnawed away that woman’s soul.】

Lyle felt relieved. But the evil god Sadea did not like its host feeling relieved. Relief and peace would only bury the host’s desire for destruction.

So Sadea spoke words meant to shake Lyle. Of course, every word of them was true.

【Do you know what the water demon ghost said to her?】

‘……?’

【Hehehe! It’s time to sleep! Eternal sleep is the greatest rest! Besides, it’s better for everyone if something like you never wakes up! Sleep well! Field that bears calamity! Sleep deeply! O body in which evil dwells! I shall gnaw away your soul and call forth the world’s repose!】

The spiteful Sadea repeated word for word, without altering a single syllable, what the water demon ghost had said to Ethea. Lyle felt his head go numb.

Good heavens. The one the monster was truly targeting was not her, but him. But because the murderous evil god was lodged in his body, Ethea had been attacked in his stead. Lyle was swallowed uncontrollably by guilt.

Sadea whispered to him.

【Well now, was the water demon ghost really targeting you?】

‘What do you mean?’

【The one the water demon ghost was targeting was her. She has every quality they like, doesn’t she? Weak-bodied, young, and in another sense quite remarkable. Because you and……,】

‘Shut up.’

Lyle listened only that far before anger surged up.